Published 4:56 pm, Thursday, November 3, 2011

Albany city lawmakers still aim to vote on a resolution backing the two-week-old Occupy Albany movement on Monday night.

But the game plan has changed a bit.

An initial resolution supporting the encampment and urging Mayor Jerry Jennings to continue allowing the protesters to remain in Academy Park in violation of the city park's 10 p.m. curfew appeared to have had enough support to pass the 15-member Common Council earlier this week.

But at Wednesday's caucus, the lawmakers agreed to split the measure in two, with one resolution expressing broad support for the demonstrators' message and a second resolution explicitly urging the city not to enforce the curfew to block the peaceful demonstration.

The split, as outlined in an email from Council President Pro Tempore Richard Conti to his colleagues -- all fellow Democrats -- stems from concerns about mixing a policy to not enforce the curfew with a show of support for a political message. In this case, one of the protesters' goals is an extension of New York's so-called millionaires' tax.

He had "concerns with a resolution that advocates non-enforcement of local law based on the political content of the speech," wrote Conti, who has publicly supported the local offshoot of Occupy Wall Street, which began in September.

"This has nothing to do with my position with regard to Occupy Albany, nor should it," Conti wrote. "It has everything to do with my understanding of the content neutral protections of our constitution."

Councilman Anton Konev, the lead sponsor for the initial resolution, said he is on board with the division into two measures as long as both are offered for a vote.

Konev's resolution had at least eight co-sponsors, the minimum needed for passage, so it would seem the new pair has a strong chance of passing.

Councilman Ron Bailey -- who represents the 3rd Ward, including Academy Park-- right across Eagle Street from City Hall -- has said if it were up to him, he would enforce the curfew.

"I believe in free speech, but I also believe there's a need to uphold the letter of the law," Bailey told Insider last week. "I think everyone should be treated the same. I'm not criticizing the mayor, I'm not criticizing the chief of police. I understand where they're at with this. But my thing is, the law is the law."

Looking to have a say

It's for the kids, right?

The Albany school board race, which has had no candidates other than incumbents in recent years, has been infused with some political vitriol this year. But the primary at times has seemed not to be about how to solve the issues that plague the district, like low high school graduation rates and schools on state watch lists.

Instead, partisans are trying to turn the board race into a referendum on charter schools. That's been a bitter issue in the district for a decade because the publicly funded, privately run schools siphon off about 2,000 district students and $30 million in taxpayer money, even though the school board has no say over the charter schools.

The fingerprints of the Brighter Choice Foundation, which supports the city's 11 charter schools, are on a mailer for Melissa Mackey, who is running for a second term. Mackey said she didn't ask the charters for their support and her priority is improving educational opportunities for all children in the city, particularly poor and minority students in danger of being left behind. She said the board has spent too much time and money going after charter schools, when it should be concerned with improving its own academics.

School board President Dan Egan, and a coterie of supporters, including Common Council and former board members, want Mackey gone. Egan sent out a scathing letter attacking Mackey the moment it was clear she was seeking re-election, and he has been backing the other candidates, Sue Adler and Ginnie Farrell

Wedding, fundraiser

Not long after the state Legislature legalized same-sex marriage in New York in June, Albany Councilman Richard Conti hinted that he and his partner, Steve Snow, might be planning a "fall event."

On Tuesday, their 25th anniversary together, the couple was married at 5:15 p.m. by Albany County Family Court Judge Margaret "Peggy" Walsh in a small, private ceremony at the University Club on Washington Avenue.

Their marriage preceded Conti's fundraiser at the club -- though the four-term Democrat from Center Square said the timing was purely coincidental.

He said they made no formal announcement at the event but acknowledged, "once you told one person, it got around."

He said he and Snow had discussed planning something for their anniversary for sometime and finally decided Friday to go forward with it.

On Monday, they headed to City Hall -- where Conti spends many hours a week on council matters -- to get their marriage license in accordance with the state's 24-hour waiting period.

Inside Politics is a companion to the Local Politics blog -- http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics -- and compiled by Jordan Carleo-Evangelist. Scott Waldman contributed. Reach the Insider via email at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com, on the phone at 454-5445 or on Twitter @JCEvangelist_TU